Community Needs Assessment
Related Learning Outcome
II.a. Students identify and analyze diverse information needs of individuals and communities.
Artifact Overview
This community needs assessment analyzed the collection and community needs of the Central East Hillsborough Elementary PLC. Using data from participating schools, the assessment examined enrollment, student subgroups, racial and ethnic demographics, collection size, publication year averages, budget capacity, and media specialist survey responses. The project moved beyond looking at one school in isolation and instead considered broader regional patterns, including aging STEAM-related nonfiction, uneven purchasing power, and the practical barriers that affect collaboration across schools.
I selected this artifact for Outcome II.a because it demonstrates my ability to identify and analyze the diverse information needs of a specific community. The assignment required me to consider how student demographics, instructional support needs, collection currency, and budget differences shape access to library resources. It also helped me think about equity beyond representation alone, especially by considering whether students at different schools have access to current and instructionally useful materials. Because the project connects user needs, collection data, and regional access concerns, it strongly demonstrates my ability to analyze information needs in an applied school library context.